A trial is set in the Starke Circuit Court this morning at 9 a.m. for a man accused of battering his ex-wife in front of their two children, ages six and seven. Alan Balchunas was arrested on July 1 on charges of Domestic Battery, Strangulation, Battery, and Possession of Marijuana after he allegedly choked and shoved his ex-wife during an altercation concerning the conditions of their home.
According to the police report, Balchunas’ ex-wife, Pamela Balchunas, grabbed a frying pan and tried to hit Balchunas after he had choked and shoved her but was unsuccessful. She then reportedly picked up a baseball bat and tried to leave the home, but Balchunas grabbed her again and she struck him with the bat before grabbing her two children and leaving.
Alan was soon located and taken into custody, but told a different version of the story. He claimed that Pamela attacked him with the baseball bat during an argument and he grabbed her, shoved her, and left the residence.
The report also states that Balchunas told the officer that he and his ex-wife had been helping a man manufacture methamphetamine with the children present, and they had been smoking marijuana at the home. When police later returned to the home to photograph evidence, they located a pipe fashioned out of aluminum foil with a conspicuous residue that later tested positive for marijuana.
Pamela was also arrested. Alan is set to proceed to trial this morning on charges of Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Child and Strangulation.
